Project summary

In a referendum held on 3 May 2012, the
citizens of Bristol voted in favour of a Directly Elected Mayor
(DEM) to lead the city by a margin of around 5,100 votes. From
a turnout of 24%, 41,032 people voted in favour of a mayor, while
35,880 voted against. The election of the new mayor takes place on
in November 2012. It follows that, in a very short period of
time, the governance of Bristol will be changed
dramatically.

A report assessing The Prospects for Mayoral
Governance was published in March 2013

Project aims

This research project involves researchers at
the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol
working very closely together. It aims to address two
important questions relating to the future leadership and
governance of the city:

What difference does a DEM make?

What steps can be taken to ensure that the introduction of a
DEM brings about
benefits and avoids potential disadvantages?

To answer the first question we are carrying
out a ‘before and after’ assessment of the governance of the city.
The study will throw light on whether or not the DEM model of governance
actually has the desired effects – as viewed from different vantage
points.

Such evidence will have value, not just in
assisting local learning in the context of the City of Bristol, but
also in providing insights that could be useful to other cities or
city regions contemplating moves towards a DEM model. The findings of
this evaluation will be of interest to central government and
others interested in improving the effectiveness of local
governance.

The research team will address the second
question by working closely with the various stakeholders to learn
from their experience of changing the governance of the city and to
contribute ideas drawn from research on other cities. This involves
an action/research methodology in which the researchers engage with
those involved in the reform effort to help the process of
discovery and lesson drawing.

The research project involves working closely
with Bristol City Council and other stakeholders in the governance
of the city.